July 2006: Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid for £11m Like Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy did not hide his desire to join Real, and made a good impact before age caught up with him.

Dec 2001: Andy Cole to Blackburn for £8m One of the most prolific scorers in Premier League history, Ferguson sold him at probably the right time.

June 2005: Paul Ince to Inter Milan for £7m England midfielder was reluctant to leave Old Trafford, but his experience in Serie A helped him on his path to management.

Aug 2007: Alan Smith to Newcastle for £6m Smith wanted first-team football after struggling with injuries, but his career has stuttered ever since.

July 2007: Kieran Richardson to Sunderland for £5.5m Initially regarded as one of the next generation of bright young things but an inability to hold a first team place saw him move on.

May 2008: Gerard Pique to Barcelona for £5m Came of age following his move to Barcelona. He made just 14 appearances for United, having signed as a kid.

Aug 1995: Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton for £5m Another player to have fallen out with Ferguson, he arrived amid fanfares but despite some famous performances, overall his contribution was minimal.

And one other that got away

Aug 1989: Paul McGrath to Aston Villa for £400,000 Ferguson sold McGrath and Norman Whiteside in 1989 in an attempt to stamp out booze culture atUnited. Whiteside failed to succeed at Everton, but McGrath excelled at Aston Villa.